MLAs fume over slow pace of LED light installation in Bengaluru
The Hindu
There are dark spots in several parts of the city
Members cutting across party lines in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday complained about poor street lighting in Bengaluru, as the consortium that bagged the global tender in 2018 to replace 4.85 lakh street lights with energy-efficient LED lamps is working at a slow pace, resulting in dark spots in several parts of the city.Manjunath R. of the JD(S) raised the issue during the question hour and said after the agreement was signed with the consortium, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) stopped releasing funds for installation or repair of street lights during the last two years and this pushed several areas of the city, particularly those on the outskirts, into perpetual darkness.He said his Dasarahalli constituency had nearly 6,500 factories and women, especially garment factory workers, felt unsafe in the night without street lights.Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.